Memories of a Practitioner: Ciba–Geigy Crop Protection Activities in Indonesia in the 1980s, an Example of Local Embeddedness

After the end of World War II, an international initiative was launched by the US government to respond to the looming food crisis in the Global South, through large-scale public sector investments towards the improvement of the productivity of the world’s major staple crops. Ciba–Geigy Agrochemicals and Ciba–Pilatus Aerial Spraying Co. were, at the time, strongly involved in the process through the delivery of large quantities of crop protection products under government contracts. This was also the case in Indonesia where the author worked for Ciba–Geigy in the 1980s. Looking back, he finds that Ciba–Geigy only started to focus on the farmer as the main client in a comprehensive way when the government of Indonesia withdrew from its function as a provider of subsidized agrochemical input to farmers. Once the farmer rather than the government became the main client, Ciba–Geigy started to create many direct and indirect benefits for local farmer communities through capacity development programs that included the transfer of soft skills, more sustainable and productive agricultural practices, and business development skills. This commitment to local embeddedness also contributed to higher local average incomes, more jobs, better schooling for kids and improved public health conditions. This change of behavior is illustrated by concrete initiatives developed and implemented by Ciba–Geigy and its legacy companies. Pointing out that business can also be part of the solution, UN SDG 8 introduced a more solution-oriented view of sustainable development that may gather momentum in future policy approaches to achieve Agenda 2030 and new ways of teaching sustainable development.